Ghostbusters - A Love Story
by wildmushrooms
Summary: Set six months after the events of Ghostbusters II, this story introduces a new love interest to the boys in grey. Which Ghostbuster will she ultimately fall for and how will their love story end?
1. A Visitor

This tale begins in June 1990 - six months after Ghostbusters II takes place.  
Peter, Egon and Ray are still busy Ghostbusting full time, having finally earned the respect of New York and its people.  
Winston has become a part time Ghostbuster due to family commitments.  
Janine is still the Ghostbuster's secretary and is continuing to date Louis, who is infatuated with her.  
Peter and Dana's on-again-off-again relationship has ended - again.

The firehouse door slammed shut.  
Upstairs in the lounge, Peter was lazily drinking a cup of coffee while watching Egon and Ray, sitting at the dining table, repair some damaged Ghostbusting equipment.  
A cloud of smoke from Ray's cigarette encased the two. None of the boys reacted to the sound of the slamming door.  
After all, it was probably just another administrator from the city wanting to talk to Louis about legal formalities again.  
Downstairs they could hear Janine welcome the visitor with an unusually cheerful tone.  
The visitor greeted Janine back – in a female voice!  
Peter perked up, focusing his attention on who was down below.  
Ray began asking Egon a question, but was quickly interrupted by Peter.  
"Shhhh!" Peter said as he signalled with his hands for Ray to stop talking. "There's a chick down there. I haven't been laid in a month, this could be my chance."  
Ray and Egon rolled their eyes at each other and carried on with their work.  
Peter, unsatisfied with not being able to see and hear the potential babe below, stood up and edged quietly to the door.  
He pulled the door ajar, stopping and wincing as it squeaked loudly. Peter craned his neck trying to catch a glimpse of the visitor to no avail.  
He paused for a moment, ran his fingers through his hair, cleared his throat and made his way downstairs to introduce himself.

Peter was half way down the stairs when he begin to see the visitor from the feet up.  
He observed her delicate feet encased in simple white sandals, red nail polish on her toes.  
His vision followed up her feet, to her bare legs that showed her soft, milky white skin.  
She was wearing a pale blue, knee length sundress covered in small white polka dots.  
He inched his way down the stairs slowly, not wanting to disrupt the visitor's conversation with Janine.  
The visitor's back was to him allowing him the perfect opportunity to sneak down the stairs undetected.  
He took another step.  
She was holding a book in her arms.  
Another step.  
She had long wavy blonde hair arranged in a thick braid falling down her back.  
_Definitely cute_, Peter decided.  
He jumped the last two steps onto the concrete floor below causing a loud bang that startled Janine and the visitor.  
"Jeez Peter, don't do that to me!" exclaimed Janine as she put her hand to her chest, visibly startled.  
"Who do we have here?" asked Peter, extending his hand to the visitor, who had now turned around to face him.  
He studied her face: big blue eyes framed by long black eyelashes, full pink lips and the slightest hint of freckles across her delicate nose.  
_Way out of my league_, he thought.  
He shot her a smile and the visitor smiled back at him. It was a warm, sincere smile. Peter already knew she couldn't be from around here.  
"Hi. I'm Audrey." She extended her hand to Peter's expecting him to shake it. Instead he pulled her hand to his mouth, planting a kiss on top.  
"Hi Audrey, it's very nice to meet you." said Peter, laying on all the charm he could muster.  
"Ugh, don't mind him" said Janine with a roll of her eyes "He's like that with everyone he meets."  
"Oh?" replied Audrey "Well, I guess you have to do whatever's good for business, right?"  
She grinned at him while Janine giggled from behind her desk. "I don't think I caught your name."  
"It's Venkman. Peter Venkman. I'm a scientist." he replied, caught a little off guard by her remark.  
He cleared his throat. "That's an interesting accent you have, European?"  
"Uh, Australian actually."  
"Oh they had to send you to come and get the Ghostbusters for a little problem down in Australia, huh? What have they got, a ghost in the Opera House?"  
Audrey giggled. "No, I live here in New York actually. I've been here a few months.  
Janine and I are in the same book club and I was just dropping off next month's book to her," said Audrey looking over at Janine, who was leaning on her hand watching the conversation with interest.  
"Aww, book club. You know I like to read. I'm a big fan of the classics. Dickens, Hemingway, Sendak..." rattled off Peter, clearly bluffing. "I'm also a brilliant tour guide so if you'd like to be seen in the coolest restaurants in Manhattan on the arm of the most sought after Ghostbuster in the city, I'm your guy."  
He cocked his head at her.  
_How could she refuse that invite_? he thought.  
Janine let out a snort.  
Peter shot her a stern glance.  
"Well that sure is tempting, Peter. Thank you" replied Audrey, smiled at him again and brushed a wavy tendril of hair behind her ear.  
There was a moment of silence.  
"Well, I really should be going." said Audrey as she turned around to face Janine.  
"I'm still finding my way around, so it takes me forever to find my way home. I don't even know how I managed to find this building without having to take an hour long detour!"  
"Aww, you'll get used to it!" replied Janine. "It really is a lovely city, just make sure you buy a knife or some capsicum spray and you'll be fine!" she said with a smile. Audrey smiled back nervously. She couldn't tell if Janine was being serious or joking.  
"Well Peter, it was nice to meet you," said Audrey, looking over at Peter who was now sitting casually on the corner of Janine's desk playing with a Rubik's cube.  
"Likewise" replied Peter, "Don't forget about my offer to show you around. You know where to find me." He winked and smiled at Audrey. "See you later."  
"Bye" said Audrey as she turned around, taking a couple of steps towards the firehouse door before exclaiming "Oh!" and turning back around to place the book she had been holding in her arms on Janine's desk "I nearly forgot!"  
Audrey turned around again, her dress swaying with her every step, and left the building, the door slamming shut behind her.

Peter turned to Janine. "I never knew you had any hot friends, Janine. Where you been hiding this fox?"  
Janine, who had begun filing her nails, looked up at Peter from her chair.  
"I've only known her a month or so since she started coming to book club. She's looking for friends I guess. She's a real nice girl. Real smart too. We should invite her along to the dinner thing we're all going to next Friday. You know the one? We have a spare seat to fill."  
"The ass kissing New Yorkers banquet at the Belvedere? Yes! Great idea Janine! Great idea!" replied Peter enthusiastically, as he jumped up and bounded back up the stairs two at a time.

Peter busted through the door back into the lounge.  
Ray and Egon were still in the same position, tinkering with the equipment.  
Ray, now wearing a large pair of magnifying goggles looked up, his eyes resembling a bug-eyed cartoon character.  
"You were gone a while, Peter. Who was it?" he asked.  
"Only the hottest chick I've seen all week, Ray. Possibly even all month."  
"All month? She must be an absolute goddess for you to say that, Peter" shot Egon, giving Ray a smirk.  
"Oh she is Egon, she is. A foreign babe too. Just wait till you see her. She's coming to the banquet with us next week."  
Ray and Egon shot each other knowing glances before going back to work.


	2. The Belvedere

Friday night at The Belvedere Hotel.  
The Ghostbusters – Peter, Ray, Egon plus Janine and Louis were seated at an elaborately decorated table in the centre of the Grand Ballroom.  
A room full of identical tables bustling with formal looking guests surrounded them.  
It was the night of the annual Celebrating Citizens of New York banquet and the Ghostbusters were some of the most popular and celebrated guests this year after saving the world last New Years Eve.

Louis was excitedly explaining the tax benefits of the event to Janine, who was stirring her cocktail with a straw and looking wistfully at all the ball gowns on display.  
Ray and Egon were in deep discussion about the reported paranormal experiences in the art deco hotel, which date back the 1950s.  
Peter straightened his tie and took another sip from his whiskey glass.  
There was a spare seat next to him, for Audrey, who was running late.  
He scanned the room for her again.  
_Was she even going to show up,_ he wondered. He'd gone to the trouble of dry cleaning his only suit for the occasion.  
"Oh here she is!" exclaimed Janine, interrupting Louis.

Peter, Ray, Egon and Louis all looked over to Janine and followed her line of sight to Audrey, who was making her way across the ballroom.  
She was wearing a floor length black dress that hugged her slim but curvy body.  
The thin straps of the dress hung over her shoulders, her toned arms and delicate collar bone on display.  
Her hair had been pulled into an elegant updo, with soft strands of hair framing her face and a pair of delicate silver drop earrings glimmered from her ears.  
Her elegance and beauty had caught the attention of all three Ghostbusters, plus a trail of men craning their necks to get a better view of her as she walked past them on her way to the table. Audrey was completely oblivious to the ripple of attention she'd caused.  
"Jeez Venkman, you weren't kidding when you said she was attractive" said Ray, eyebrows raised.  
Egon adjusted his glasses.  
_She was beautiful,_ he thought, _but totally Peter's type, not mine.  
_"Back off Ray, she's mine" shot Peter quietly, half joking but half serious as he stood up to introduce himself to Audrey who had finally made her way over to the table.  
"Audrey, may I introduce my colleagues Ray and Egon"  
"Hi" said Ray and Egon in unison, taking the chance to observe Audrey close up.  
Egon took in her face, admiring her blue eyes and the freckles across her nose.

"And of course we have Janine and Louis" finished Peter, casually signalling in their direction.  
"Hi everyone" said Audrey cheerfully as she sat in the chair Peter had politely pulled out for her.  
"I'm so sorry I'm late, I got lost on my way here. Turns out you can't trust directions from homeless people" she said, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.  
"I like your accent" piped Egon "Australian?"  
"Yes actually" replied Audrey furrowing a brow "I think you're the first person to get that right, everyone else thinks I'm from Europe"  
Peter's face grew pink and he sunk lower into his seat.  
"I shared a dorm with an Australian guy back in college. He always wore odd socks. He left after a semester" finished Egon, quickly wondering why he'd just said that out loud.  
Audrey laughed. "How strange" she said with a smile.  
Egon laughed too. He couldn't help it; Audrey's laugh was infectious.

The night progressed, speeches were made, course after delicious course was served while wine and whiskey flowed at each table.  
"You know, Audrey" said Janine, with a mouthful of cake in her mouth "I really do believe your desserts are better than this fancy stuff we're eating tonight."  
"Oh, really?" replied Audrey, who had never really been comfortable accepting compliments.  
"Audrey makes the most delicious desserts for book club. I think we've all gained 10 pounds since she started coming along!" said Janine looking at everyone on the table, "she's a real good cook."  
"Thanks, Janine. It's nice to have an excuse to bake. It's not much fun cooking for one all the time" replied Audrey.  
"Baking? You're like perfect wife material!" chimed in Peter. He couldn't believe this woman.  
_Cute AND a good cook?_ he thought. _I bet she's good in bed too.  
_"You should drop by with dessert sometime, Audrey. Our little Egon here can't get enough of the sweet stuff" said Peter, ruffling Egon's hair playfully.  
Egon slowly patted his hair back into place.  
"I'll have to do that" said Audrey, catching Egon's eye.  
She studied him, finding him completely adorable in this moment.  
Egon quickly looked away.

A little later on in the night, Ray and Egon were back to their deep discussion regarding the paranormal.  
Janine had Louis in his arms, kissing him passionately.  
Peter was trying to impress Audrey with stories of his academic achievements, of which even he admitted were limited.  
Audrey briefly caught Egon's eye again. She really wanted to talk to him, get to know more about him.  
"I read something in a book about the ghost of the woman on the twelfth floor" she said, adding to Ray and Egon's conversation on the hotel's paranormal past. "Delilah Dagheart I think her name was. Something to do with an elevator accident that happened in the fifties, right?"  
"Yeah, that's it" replied Ray, impressed by her local knowledge. He eagerly asked her thoughts on the case, excited to add a fresh opinion to the discussion.

From the paranormal experiences of the Belvedere Hotel, to unsolved mysteries, UFO's, phrenology and the work of the Ghostbusters, the conversation spanned to the end of the evening but had quickly became an in depth discussion exclusively between Egon and Audrey.  
She had even swapped seats with Ray so she could sit next to Egon.  
Janine and Louis had left an hour ago.  
Peter and Ray were sitting on the opposite side of the table watching the two talk excitedly.  
"I've never seen him talk so much to anyone, let alone a woman before" said Ray.  
He was surprised with how chatty the normally reserved Egon had become around Audrey.  
"Yeah, well he totally cut in on my chick" replied Peter, feeling a little upset about having the girl he invited to dinner pay more attention to Egon than himself.  
"Usually it's the other way around" he finished, taking the final sip from his forth or fifth whiskey glass. Ray smirked at Peter and lit a cigarette.  
"Okay you two, wrap it up! The cleaners are shooting me dirty looks now. It's time to leave" said Peter, clapping his hands together in an attempt to jolt Egon and Audrey out of their conversation.  
It worked.  
They looked over at Ray and Peter, both suddenly aware of how deeply entangled in their own exclusive conversation they had been for the last couple of hours.

The Ghostbusters, accompanied by Audrey, walked to the entrance of the hotel.  
"Well, we're parked just around the corner here" said Ray, nodding his head in the direction where the Ecto-1 was parked.  
"Which way to your place?" Peter asked Audrey, playfully. He knew he now had zero chance of going home with her, but still he thought he'd ask.  
"This way" replied Audrey, signalling down the road in the opposite direction to where the Ghostbusters were headed.  
"Would you like us to drive you home?" asked Egon, secretly hoping she'd say yes.  
"No that's okay, my apartment's not far from here" she replied. "Thank you though."  
She smiled at the Ghostbusters and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  
"Well Miss, thank you for the pleasure of your company" said Peter, kissing Audrey's hand again.  
"Thanks for inviting me, Peter. It was nice meeting you all" replied Audrey.  
She smiled at Egon.  
What she really meant was that it was nice to meet him.  
They all exchanged farewells before the Ghostbusters began walking in the direction of their car.  
Peter turned around and mouthed 'call me' to Audrey.  
There was only one Ghostbuster she was going to call and it wasn't going to be Peter.


	3. Ray's Occult Books

A few days had passed since the banquet at the Belvedere Hotel.  
Ray was busily rearranging a display of books in his bookstore, Ray's Occult Books, which he still ran when he wasn't working as a Ghostbuster.  
A puff of smoke from his pipe wafted around him.  
A bell gave a high-pitched tinkle as the door slowly opened.  
Ray looked up from arranging the books to see Audrey, wearing a pale pink shirt loosely tucked into a pair of rolled up dark jeans, her hair messily tied into a high ponytail.  
"Hi Ray!" she said happily, flashing him a smile.  
"Hi" replied Ray, a little surprised to see her and curious as to why she had come to his shop. _  
_"How's things?" she asked, trying to act casually.  
"Fine" replied Ray "You know Peter isn't here, I…"  
"Oh, I wasn't looking for Peter" interrupted Audrey, before realising she wasn't acting naturally at all.  
"Oh, okay. Is there something I can help you with then?" asked Ray as he took a deep puff from his pipe.  
"Oh, no, I just wanted to have a look around," replied Audrey with a smile.  
She hesitated for a second before scanning the room and picking a shelf of books to browse through.  
"So, um…" she started while tilting her head to read the dusty titles on the shelf, "How's Egon?"  
_So THAT'S what she's here for_, he thought, smiling to himself.  
"He's fine," he offered.  
A few moments passed.

"Has he said anything about me since the other night?" she asked, still trying to act nonchalant, although her heart had started to quicken by this point.  
Truth be told, Audrey hadn't been able to stop thinking about Egon since meeting him the other night.  
She had spent the last few days reliving their conversations, dying to talk with him again.  
She'd thought about his hair, his eyes, his glasses, the tie he had worn. What had be been drinking? What had his smile looked like? What cologne was he wearing?  
Audrey needed to see him again and decided to visit Ray, Egon's closest friend, to find out if he had been thinking about her just as much.  
"No" replied Ray, honestly.  
"Oh…" said Audrey, suddenly feeling a little bit sick. Had she completely misinterpreted the night?  
She picked a book off the shelf and started to flick through it.  
_What do I do now_, she wondered.  
"Then again," continued Ray, after giving it a moments thought, "he never really talks about anything other than work."  
Audrey smiled; her heart began to race again.  
Ray could sense Audrey's interest in Egon wasn't exactly platonic. He moved behind the counter and sat down.  
"You know, you could always call him. It's not like he has anything better to do on a Saturday night than drink copious amounts of soda and write notes on positive enforcement theory."  
Audrey walked over to the counter.  
"I'll take this one, thanks," she said, placing a book on the counter and smiling again at Ray.  
Ray's brows furrowed as he read the title: An Outline of Occult Science by Rudolph Steiner.  
"Heavy stuff" he commented as he punched some buttons on the cash register.  
"I'm always up for a challenge" replied Audrey. Ray wasn't sure if she was referring to the book or Egon.  
After paying, Audrey took a pen from the counter, pulled off the lid with her teeth, flipped to the last page of her newly purchased book and tore off a small rectangle of paper before scribbling something on it and handing it to Ray.  
"Would you mind giving this to Egon next time you see him?"  
She put the lid back on the pen, smiled and quickly left the store, the bell tinkling behind her as she left.  
Ray looked down at the slip of paper. On it was her name and phone number.  
Ray chuckled.  
_Lucky guy,_ he thought before folding up the paper and putting it in his pocket.


	4. A Crumpled Slip of Paper

It wasn't until later on that night that Ray returned to the firehouse, a large pizza box in his arms.  
The building was dark except for the second floor, the lounge room, which also served as kitchen, dining room, recreation room and research space.  
Egon was huddled over the pool table. A glass jar of slime bubbled away next to a boom box, which was quietly playing an upbeat pop song from the radio.  
Egon was busily writing notes while holding a calculator in his other hand. A pair of re-engineered headphones were on his head, multi-coloured wires dangled around his chin.  
He hadn't heard Ray come in.

"Hey!" called out Ray. He brushed aside a stack of papers and candy wrappers from the small dining table and placed the pizza box on top.  
Flipping the lid and taking a slice, he walked over to Egon to examine what he was working on.  
Egon looked up at Ray and slipped the headphones around his neck.  
"Hey Ray. You should see the results I'm getting here, it's…"  
"Never mind that right now" interrupted Ray. "Someone came to see me at the bookshop today. They were asking about you. You'll never guess who it was!"  
Egon stared at Ray waiting for him to continue, a blank expression on his face.  
"It was Audrey! From the other night!" he was talking rather excitedly now.  
After all, he couldn't recall the last time a woman had come chasing after Egon.  
"She gave me this to give to you!" he dug around in his pocket before pulling out a chewing gum wrapper, a coin and a piece of lint and placed them all on the pool table.  
"That's very thoughtful of her," replied Egon sarcastically, picking up the lint and examining it closely before flicking it to the ground.  
"Oh here it is" said Ray digging around in his other pocket.  
He pulled out the now crumpled slip of paper and handed it to Egon.  
Egon, brows furrowed, took the paper and carefully unfolded it.  
"This is for me?" he asked Ray sceptically after seeing what was written on it.  
"Yep. She came in asking about you. Wanted to know if you'd been talking about her. I think she really likes you, Spengler. She's real cute too, you should call her!"  
Egon gave a slight smile before folded the paper up and slipping it into his pocket.  
He quickly changed the subject back to his latest slime studies.


	5. Ring, Ring

A pale blue telephone positioned on a wooden table, its long cord dangling off the edge, began to ring.  
Audrey raced to the phone.  
She reached for the receiver in such a hurry she almost knocked over a kitsch brown cat ornament next to the phone.  
She reached out to steady the ornament, causing her to drop the receiver onto the floor.

"Oops, sorry about that!" she said into the phone once she had picked it up off the floor.  
"Er, no problem," said the voice on the other end of the line "Is this Audrey?"  
"Yes, who's this?" she replied.  
She could hear the person on the other end clear their throat.  
"It's Egon," he said.  
Audrey closed her eyes for a moment and began to do a little dance on the spot, a huge grin on her face.  
"Are you there?" he asked after Audrey hadn't replied for a moment.  
"Oh yes, sorry. Hi!" She paused for a moment, gathering her composure.  
"I wasn't sure if you were going to call…" she said.

They spoke about trivial things for a few minutes before Audrey plucked up the courage to ask Egon out to dinner.  
She grinned down the phone line when he said yes.  
They arranged a date for next Saturday night, with Audrey to meet Egon at the firehouse at eight o'clock sharp.

After saying their goodbyes, Audrey carefully placed the receiver back on its cradle.  
She thought about the vow she had made to herself before moving to New York about not dating any men for the next year.  
_Screw it,_ she thought, _Egon is different._


	6. A Psychomagnotheric Date

Friday night, 7.56pm.  
Audrey stood out the front of the firehouse and looked up at the building, the Ghostbusters sign swinging above her head in the soft breeze.  
She was surprised that she had been able to find her way to the firehouse again without getting lost.  
After deliberating for an afternoon over what to wear, she had decided on a short sleeve, knee length green chiffon dress that skimmed across her chest revealing just a hint of cleavage.  
The full skirt shimmied with her every step. It was the perfect dancing dress. She wondered if that's what they could end up doing later on tonight.  
She had paired her dress with black tights, chunky black Mary Jane heels and an unbuttoned dark purple cardigan.  
She had worn her hair out, the long wavy strands cascaded down her back.  
In her arms she held a neatly arranged plate of chocolate fudge cookies that she had baked, remembering the promise she had made to Peter at the banquet.  
She took a deep breath before pushing open the firehouse door.

Inside, a pale yellow light shone down revealing the Ecto-1.  
She walked past it looking curiously at the accessories on the roof, wondering what they were all for.  
She spotted Janine's desk, now abandoned for the day.  
Audrey remembered the last time she had been here, meeting Peter for the first time.  
She wondered if he was here now and what he thought about her turning down his advances for Egon.  
Audrey made her way up the stairs, careful not to trip over.  
_That would be just my luck_, she thought.  
Once at the top she knocked on the door, which was quickly opened by none other than Peter.  
"Oh hi!" he said, clearly excited at her arrival. She could sense that he'd been giving Egon a hard time about the date tonight.  
"Oh you baked! You shouldn't have!" he continued, taking the plate of cookies out of her arms. "Come in, come in. Make yourself at home."  
She walked in and looked around the disorganised room. It was clearly a bachelor pad, but there was something oddly comforting and warm about the place.  
Ray, who was sitting on the couch with a large book in his lap, looked over and said hello to Audrey.  
"How's that book of yours going?" he asked.  
"I'm still only at the beginning," she replied with a tilt of her head.  
"So where's Egon?" she asked, nervously moving around the room.  
"Poor Spengs. He's been having a real hard time coordinating his outfit this evening," said Peter jokingly, while offering Ray a cookie. "He'll be out in a minute. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Maybe something a little harder?" he asked.  
"Coffee would be great, thanks" she replied before spotting a guitar resting against a wall. She walked over to it, picked it up and sat down on a nearby chair, relieved at having something to do while she waited for Egon. She slid the pick out from between the strings and strummed a couple of chords, wincing at the sound before beginning to tune it.  
"Egon didn't say you were a musician," said Peter impressed, as he poured coffee into a cup.  
"Oh, no. I'm not a musician." she replied with a smile. "It's just something I picked up from my university days. Do you play?" she asked Peter as he handed her the cup of coffee.  
"Only enough to pick up chicks. Chicks really dig musicians you know" he replied.  
"Oh yeah, and how's that working out for you?" she replied, cheekily.  
Ray peeked over the couch at her, a smirk on his face.  
Audrey took a big gulp from her coffee cup, only now realising just how thirsty she was.  
She sat the cup down and began strumming the guitar again while Peter stood making song requests.

Meanwhile, Egon stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at his reflection.  
His stomach was churning. He felt a lump rise in his throat. He felt sick.  
_What am I doing_, he asked himself.  
Egon had dated in the past, but he had never pursued anything long term. What was the point? A relationship would only get in the way of his work. He also didn't trust his emotions. He worried they would cloud his judgement and interfere with his logical thinking, causing him to do something stupid or possibly even regrettable.  
_A relationship will definitely be too troublesome_. _I don't want to end up with an ongoing saga like Peter and Dana, _he decided.  
He'd have to tell Audrey tonight that he'd made a mistake and they shouldn't continue to see each other.  
Then he thought of Audrey again and reconsidered his thoughts. From the moment he had met her he'd felt something… something he couldn't quite name just yet.  
He turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face.  
_Forget rational thought_, he said to himself, _Audrey is different._

Egon walked into the lounge room, caught a little by surprise at Audrey playing the guitar.  
"It seems your girlfriend has some hidden talents, Egon" shot Peter from across the room, giving him a suggestive look.  
Egon ignored Peter's remark and greeted Audrey.  
"Okay, come on Ray, this is our cue to leave" said Peter to Ray, signalling him to get up from the couch. "Don't you worry about us, we're just heading down to our local dive bar to drink cheap beer and talk, you know, science stuff," he said to Audrey as he made his way to the door, Ray trailing along behind him.  
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, you crazy kids" said Peter with a wink before leaving.  
"Have a good time you guys," said Ray before closing the door behind him and following Peter down the stairs.  
Audrey slid the pick back between the guitar strings, leaned the guitar back against the wall and stood up, nervously smoothing her dress down.  
"I hope Peter didn't give you a hard time," said Egon.  
"No, not at all," she replied.  
They were both suddenly aware that this was the first time they'd been alone together.  
"Hi" she said, breaking the sudden silence.  
"Hi," he replied, happy she had broken the silence. As much as Peter irritated him sometimes, Egon wished he had his confidence with women. "Uh, how about I give you a tour?"  
"Okay," she replied, before draining her cup of the last drops of coffee and placing it on the dining table.

It wasn't until Egon had shown Audrey around the research equipment on the top level of the firehouse that he noticed how quiet she had become.  
He looked at her, noticing her pupils had become enlarged, her eyes glazed over, a dopey grin on her face. Something wasn't right.  
"Are you… feeling okay?" he asked her.  
"Oh I feel great, amazing actually" she said, her smile widening.  
She lent into him, eyes closed, reaching up to kiss his lips.  
"Whoa, hold on, what's going on?" he asked, holding her back.  
"I just really, really like you Egon!" she exclaimed melodramatically. "Actually I think – I think I love you! How about you show me your bedroom, we could…"  
"Look up" he said, suddenly shining a small medical torch into her eyes. "What was the last thing you ate or drank?" he asked her, concerned.  
"Peter gave me a cup of coffee earlier. It was amazing. Peter is so nice. I really like him! Where did he go?"  
"Uh, let's go back downstairs," he replied, wondering what to do next. Something was clearly wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.  
"Can you show me the coffee cup Peter gave you?" he asked her, suddenly having an idea.  
"I sure can, follow me," she said flirtatiously as she grabbed Egon's hand and led him downstairs and back into the lounge room.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, she quickly turned around causing Egon to bump into her.  
She tried to lean in again for a kiss but Egon quickly held her back.  
He cleared his throat.  
"You were going to show me the coffee cup," he prompted.  
"The what? Oh, yeah, over here" she said, scanning the room before spotting the empty cup on the dining table and moving over to it, Egon following.  
She passed the cup to him, which he inspected closely. He could see a slight pink sheen to the cup – remnants of psychomagnotheric slime, and there was no need to guess who put it there.  
_Shit, Venkman has laced Audrey's coffee… and it's never been orally ingested before,_ he thought, suddenly both alarmed and intrigued.  
This date had suddenly turned into a potential case study.  
"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" Audrey asked Egon dreamily as she moved over to the pool table and turned up the radio, which was still playing for the now contaminated slime, before walking off seductively.  
Egon was weighing up the ethics of turning Audrey into an experiment, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted when he looked over at her. Audrey was now standing in the middle of the lounge room next to the fireman's pole, her cardigan in a crumped heap on the floor next to her.  
She bent over to take off her shoes, giving Egon a view of her cleavage.  
"Whoa, hold on Audrey. Keep your clothes on," he said, quickly looking away from her chest and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
He wondered what he should do next.

When he looked over at Audrey again, she had slipped off her tights and was now beginning to dance provocatively to the music blaring from the radio.  
A sleeve from her dress had slipped down to reveal more of her skin.  
Egon was beginning to feel uncomfortable with Audrey's seductive behaviour.  
He moved towards her, hoping to drape her cardigan back over her shoulders and calm her down.  
Instead, Audrey jumped onto the fireman's pole intending to swing around it, but had misjudged the move and had begun to slip down it.  
Egon tried to reach for her and pull her back up but it was too late – in a matter of seconds Audrey slid all the way down the pole and landed on the first floor cement with a thud, emitting a surprised scream as she did so.  
Egon ran to the hole and peered down at Audrey.  
"Audrey! Are you okay?" he asked, worried she may have injured herself. "Stay there!" he called out before running down the stairs to the first floor.  
He went up to Audrey and found her sitting up at the bottom of the pole, assessing her knee, a streak of blood dripping from a small graze.  
"Are you okay?" he asked her again.  
"I'm… fine" she replied, a huge grin on her face. "What a ride! I'm going to do that again!" she said, jumping to her feet.  
"I don't think that's such a good idea. Let's get you back upstairs," he said, this time taking her hand and leading her up the stairs.

In the early hours of the morning, Peter slowly cracked open the door and poked his head through, looking around the lounge room.  
He spotted Audrey's cardigan, tights and shoes discarded in the middle of the room.  
A smile formed on his face.  
"Looks like Egon got lucky tonight, the hound" he said to Ray, who followed him into the lounge room.  
"What? Egon?" said Ray, confused. He knew that wouldn't be Egon's style at all.  
He looked around and spotted Audrey's clothes on the floor. "Hmmm, I don't know Venkman. I've got a bad feeling about this."  
Ray noticed that the bedroom door was closed, a pale light filtering from underneath. He walked over to it and tapped gently.  
Egon uttered a quiet "come in."  
Ray slowly opened the door.

He saw Egon, sitting upright on his single bed, his back resting against the wall.  
Audrey was lying against him, an arm and bare leg draped over him, her head buried into his side. She was fast asleep.  
Egon didn't look happy.  
"What happened?" Ray asked Egon.  
"Venkman spiked Audrey's drink with psychomagnotheric slime. I've spent the night keeping her from making advances at me. She even threw herself down the pole. Luckily she ended up tiring herself out and fell asleep," he said, looking down at her.  
Ray looked over at Peter who had been listening to Egon speak from the lounge room; he had deliberately stayed out of Egon's line of sight.  
"I was just trying to do him a favour!" Peter said quietly to Ray, shrugging his shoulders.  
"Is she okay?" Ray asked Egon, knowing too that the slime had never been ingested before.  
"I think so. She has a few grazes from falling down the pole. I won't be able to assess the effects of the slime until she wakes up."  
"What a date, huh?" Ray replied with a grimace.  
Egon closed his eyes and nodded his head slowly.


	7. Hungover

Audrey opened her eyes.  
A golden beam of morning sunlight shone against the bare white wall opposite her.  
She sighed and rubbed her eyes, before realising she wasn't waking up in her own apartment.  
Audrey quickly sat up and looked around the bedroom.  
Egon, still sitting up with his back against the wall, his head awkwardly skewed, had fallen asleep next to her.  
_How did I end up like this_, she wondered, feeling alarmed.  
She began racking her brain trying to recall the events of the night before. She couldn't remember much at all.  
Her head began to pound.

Egon, feeling Audrey moving next to him, woke up.  
He straightened his neck, wincing while doing so, clearly sore from an uncomfortable nights sleep.  
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before placing them back on and seeing Audrey looking at him, a look of both confusion and panic on her face.  
"Okay, don't be alarmed," he began, "you ingested some psychomag… uh, mood slime, last night."  
"What?" she asked, her face looking even more confused.  
Egon gave Audrey a rundown of the events of the previous evening while Audrey covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief.  
Once he had finished, she picked up a pillow and buried her head into it.  
"Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed!" she said, feeling her face grow hot.  
Egon began to explain the tests he'd like to run on her now she was awake, but was interrupted by Audrey who had thrown down the pillow and begun laughing. The whole situation was ridiculous; there was no other way to react to it.  
Egon started laughing along too, awkwardly at first, before breaking out into full fits of laughter along with Audrey.  
Her laugh was infectious, he couldn't help himself.  
Egon couldn't remember the last time he had allowed himself to laugh so freely; he was usually so serious.

Once they had regained their composure, she lay on her back, a hand tucked behind her head.  
Egon, following her lead, shuffled down next to her.  
They both lay there, wedged together on his single bed, staring at a beam of sunlight slowly creeping across the ceiling.  
"Thank you for taking care of me" she said softly, breaking the silence.  
"You're welcome" he replied. "How do you feel now?"  
She looked over at him.  
"Hungover" she replied before they both broke into another fit of laughter.

They emerged from the bedroom into the lounge room where Ray and Peter were positioned around the pool table.  
Egon cleared his throat in an attempt to get Peter's attention. After all, he now had an apology and some major sucking up to do.  
Peter looked over, catching Egon's stern expression.  
"Oh you guys, Audrey, I'm really sorry. I was just trying to loosen you up and give you both a great first date!"  
"So you thought you'd compromise my experiment, voiding months worth of research as well as potentially harming Audrey? Venkman, the psychomagnotheric slime hadn't even been orally ingested before. Who knows what could have happened?!"  
"Well I just know that Ray had a great time on it last New Years Eve!" he replied.  
"That was a completely different set of circumstances" chimed in Ray.  
"Look, I'm truly sorry. I owe you both dinner. I'll organise everything, just tell me when and I'll arrange it for you. No expense spared. I'll get Louis to give me some petty cash…"  
"Thanks Peter, that won't be necessary. I'd rather not have any of your _assistance_ in the future" interrupted Egon.

Audrey gathered up her belongs, which Ray had neatly arranged in a pile on the couch.  
"I've really got to be going," she said, hastily slipping on her shoes.  
"I'll walk you out," replied Egon.  
Audrey said goodbye to Peter and Ray and headed for the door, Egon behind her.  
She paused in the doorway and turned around to Peter.  
"What made you think I'd need to drink slime in order to have a good time with Egon anyway?" she asked, before quickly following with "Actually, don't answer that. Whatever reason it was, you were wrong."  
Egon glared at Peter before he followed Audrey down the stairs, quickly grabbing his P.K.E Meter on his way.  
He hoped to give her a discreet once over as they descended the stairs.

Out onto the street, Audrey squinted her eyes in the bright daylight.  
"I'm sorry again about last night" said Egon apologetically.  
He wondered now how this would all end. Would she even want to see him again?  
"I'm sorry too. Do you think we can we start again?" she asked him with a smile.  
Egon smiled back in agreement.  
"Meet me in the park at lunchtime?" she asked. "We should at least make the most of this perfect day. That's if you're not busy."  
"Lunchtime in the park? Okay" he replied, surprised she wanted to see him again so soon.  
"Great, I'll see you then" she said, before turning around and walking to the curb to hail a cab.

**~R.I.P. Harold Ramis~**


	8. Picnic in the Park

Egon made his way through the park.  
Warm days like this always brought out a hive of activity, and this Sunday afternoon was no exception.  
He saw picnic rugs laid out on the grass in all directions and he wondered how he'd find Audrey amongst the throng.  
He made his way to the place he'd agreed to meet her and found her laying on her stomach on a red picnic blanket in prime park real estate - under the shade of a large tree. She had changed into cut off denim shorts that revealed her pale legs, a t-shirt and sneakers, which were neatly placed next to the blanket.  
She looked deep in concentration as she read a book while listening to her Walkman.

Egon approached Audrey, his hands in his pockets. He took a moment to admire how sweet she looked lying on the blanket.  
Audrey noticed Egon and looked up at him, slipping off her headphones and shooting him a big smile.  
They greeted each other as he joined her on the blanket.  
"I meant to ask you this morning, where did these Band-Aids on my legs come from?" she said with an amused look on her face.  
He explained about assessing her injuries and cleaning her up after the fall down the pole last night.  
She thanked him again for his help before tossing her book down on the blanket.  
"Do you read?" she asked.  
"No. I believe print media is dead," replied Egon, matter-of-factly.  
"Really? I don't think people will ever stop reading books. There is something so satisfying about cracking the spine of a new book and smelling the pages."  
He smiled at her.  
She sat up.  
"I brought lunch!" she said, drawing his attention to a hamper next to her. "I wasn't sure what you'd feel like, so I brought a bit of everything" she finished, unloading the contents of the hamper onto the blanket.  
She had made sandwiches, muffins and brought a selection of fruit with her. She pulled out a pitcher of cold lemon ice tea, complete with lemon slices floating inside.  
"You really didn't need to go to so much trouble" said Egon, surprised at how much effort she'd made for such a simple meeting.  
"Oh please, I'm just happy I had a reason to actually make food for someone other than me. Help yourself!" she replied as she poured two glasses of iced tea.

They had spent time over lunch getting to know each other properly.  
Audrey spoke about why she was in New York: She was taking part in a preschool teacher exchange program.  
She was to teach at an American school for a year, while the teacher who's job she had taken would do her job for a year back in Australia.  
She had arrived in Los Angeles back in May and had spent the last month slowly travelling across the county until she had arrived in New York, where she was now setting up her apartment and getting used to the city. She was intending to spend the summer living like a tourist before beginning work.

Egon was surprised. He hadn't known she was a teacher, let alone a preschool teacher.  
He was suddenly brimming with questions to ask her for his research at the Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research, which he still took part in when he wasn't busting ghosts. Their conversation then led into their tastes in art and music, which they discovered were completely opposite (he preferred Renaissance and opera, she'd rather Modern art and music by The Cure). They both agreed on an appreciation for Art Deco architecture.  
Egon also asked Audrey what she thought about America (she was loving it so far, but was missing a few comforts from home).

After they had eaten, they lay side by side on the blanket, stomachs full, enjoying the lazy Sunday afternoon.  
Shadows from the trees overhead danced across their bodies almost hypnotically, making them both drowsy.  
Audrey rolled onto her side to look at Egon, who was lying on his back with his eyes closed.  
She smiled at him.  
After feeling so vulnerable last night, she now felt safe and at ease.  
She thought about how much she liked him already and wondered if he felt the same.

Egon, sensing he was being watched, opened his eyes and looked over at Audrey.  
"I was starting to fall asleep," he said, rolling onto his side to face her.  
They stared into each other's eyes, flecks of sunlight dancing across their faces.  
Egon swept a wisp of hair off of Audrey's face.  
Lying so close to her, he could smell a soft vanilla scent on her skin. Everything seemed to go quiet.

She gazed at him pensively, deciding what to do next, before she slowly moved into him.  
Their lips met.  
Audrey could taste the saltiness of his lips, a hint of lemon lingering from the iced tea.  
He was gentle, soft, but she could feel a slight roughness from his unshaven face.  
It sent a shiver up her spine.  
She ran her fingers through his hair as he pulled her closer to him.  
Their hearts quickened, neither of them wanting this moment to end.  
It had been so long since Egon had put any effort into the pursuit of a woman, he suddenly wondered why.

They pulled away from each other, both returning back to the reality they had momentarily lost: the park, the afternoon, the picnic blanket.  
Egon rolled onto his back and Audrey lay next to him, her hand in his.  
It may have been the food or it may have been the kiss, but they were both suddenly overcome with a warm sense of contentedness.


	9. Coffee

"So?" asked Janine, peering down her glasses.  
"So what?" replied Audrey.  
"So are you going to tell me about what's going on between you and Egon?" probed Janine, a ripple of excitement in her voice.

Audrey and Janine were having coffee during Janine's lunch break.  
Audrey had wondered if Janine had arranged the meet up so she could grill Audrey on what was happening between her and Egon.  
Turns out Audrey's prediction was right.

"We're seeing each other, I guess," replied Audrey, before taking a sip from her coffee cup.  
"You guess?" asked Janine with a raise of her eyebrow.  
"Well, we've been seeing each other regularly for the last few weeks so I _guess_ we're officially together, but we haven't actually spoken about it, so I'm not a hundred percent sure" answered Audrey, now beginning to doubt her assumption about their relationship.  
"Well, you've kissed, right?" asked Janine.  
"Uh, yes" replied Audrey, her face growing hot.  
Although Audrey had sensed Egon's shyness and dislike for public displays of affection, they had still acted like love struck teenagers whenever they found a private moment together.  
"Well then you must officially be dating!" said Janine, becoming excited again. "And I know for a fact he really like you!"  
She dangled that last sentence like a carrot on a stick.  
"How do you know that for a fact?" asked Audrey, taking the bait.  
"Well, since you've come along, he's been acting – different. He's arguing with Peter a lot less and he's been nowhere near as bossy around the office. He didn't even say anything when me and Louis were late back from our lunch break last week. I've even caught him humming along to the radio. He definitely likes you" finished Janine with a nod of her head.  
Audrey smiled.  
"I hope so, I really like him," she said.  
In fact, every meeting with Egon had left Audrey feeling a little dizzy. Her feelings for him were growing.  
"Aww Audrey, I'm real happy for the two of you. All I've ever wanted was for Egon to find love, maybe even settle down. He needs a woman to take care of him" said Janine, genuinely happy for them. "You know I used to have such a crush on him, years ago."  
"Ha, really?!" replied Audrey. "And?"  
"And what? He never followed through even though I flirted like crazy with him!"  
Janine and Audrey broke into a fit of giggles, causing others in the coffee shop to glare in their direction.


	10. A Little More Than Dinner

Egon arrived at Audrey's apartment building on a warm Thursday night.  
They had met countless times over the weeks.  
Each encounter was more flirtatious than the last and their sexual chemistry was now impossible to deny.  
They had been out for dinner (one time paid for by Peter, who came good on his promise after all, despite Egon's resistance), they had taken walks around the park (Egon had laughed at Audrey's enthusiasm for squirrels, which she had never seen before), they had met for coffee, spent nights at the cinema and had even visited the Aquarium (Audrey admitted she was scoping the place out for future school excursions) but tonight was the first time Egon was to visit Audrey's apartment.  
She had insisted on cooking dinner for him, telling him she had recipes she'd been wanting to try for a while.

Egon took the elevator to Audrey's floor, found her door and straightened his tie before knocking.  
Audrey greeted him with a kiss on the cheek when she opened the door.  
She took the wine he'd brought and he followed her into the apartment.  
The first thing Egon noticed was the smell of something delicious cooking.  
He looked around her apartment while Audrey went to the kitchen to find a corkscrew.  
To his right was a spacious kitchen, to his left a large lounge room with windows looking out to the city. Bookcases lined the walls.  
There were clusters of small potted plants and a terrarium on top of a table next to a window, perfectly positioned to soak up the daylight.  
Audrey had a couch, a TV, a record player with stacks of records stored on a shelf nearby and a dining table.  
He noticed there were still half unpacked boxes neatly arranged in a corner of the room.  
"Nice place" he said, taking off his jacket and hanging it up on a rack before moving over to take a closer look at her terrarium.  
"Yeah, the school didn't do too bad with finding this place" she replied, walking over to him with two glasses of wine in her hands. "I still have some unpacking to do, but I'm mostly settled in now."

Egon took the glass Audrey offered him and she clinked her glass against his before they each took a sip.  
He wasn't much of a drinker, but he'd brought the wine on Peter's recommendation, thinking it may help calm his nerves.  
Despite what Peter had insinuated, he wasn't sure if an invite to Audrey's apartment was an invite for something else or not.  
Either way, he felt like he needed to be prepared. He took another sip of wine.  
"Nice terrarium" he said, admiring it up close.  
"Thanks. Most people don't seem to like them. Do you like gardening?" she asked.  
"Uh, sort of. I collect spores, molds and fungus," he replied.  
"Really? You'll have to show me sometime," said Audrey.  
Egon was surprised at her interest in his hobby.  
Peter was constantly teasing him about it and Winston would always raise an eyebrow whenever he spoke about his collection.  
Ray was the only other person who got his hobby.

Egon noticed a row of framed photographs on a bookcase. One photo in particular stood out to him.  
"That's my family," said Audrey, noticing the picture Egon was looking at.  
"I can tell. You all look alike," replied Egon, observing a younger Audrey happily smiling with what appeared to be her mother, father and two brothers.  
"Are you close?" he asked as she stood next to him to look at the picture.  
"Yeah. Well, we used to be" replied Audrey, a hint of sadness in her voice.  
Egon looked at her with furrowed brows, trying to understand what she meant.  
Audrey looked up at him.  
"My younger brother died a few years ago in a car accident," she said, her voice cracking.  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," replied Egon.  
He recalled the death of his father, the pain it had caused him. He had spent years trying to bury those feelings. He empathised with Audrey.

In an act designed to break the mood, Audrey moved over to her record player and chose a Pixies record from the shelf.  
"I thought I'd start your musical education tonight, Dr Spengler," she said to him with a cheeky grin as the record began to play.  
"Hmmm, I think you're the one needing the musical education, Miss Blythe," he shot back with a raise of his eyebrow.  
Egon loved Audrey's banter. They shared the same dry sense of humour and he adored being with her.  
Still, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was more to her past, her family, than she was letting on.

Audrey went into the kitchen to continue cooking.  
Egon offered his assistance, but Audrey insisted that he sit down and relax.  
"You're my guest after all," she told him.  
Egon sat on a stool at her kitchen bench and watched Audrey cook.  
On the street she was clumsy, always tripping over or dropping something, but here in the kitchen she was graceful, almost as if she was dancing.  
They sipped wine and talked about the events of their day while Audrey cooked.  
It wasn't long before they had finished the bottle. Against his better judgement, Egon agreed to opening another bottle.

Egon continued to watch Audrey. He looked at her simple red dress with buttons all the way down the front.  
_Had she chosen to wear that colour on purpose_, he wondered.  
He couldn't help but trace the outline of her curves through the dress, especially as she bent over the stove.  
He pushed his glasses up.  
After all these weeks of being with Audrey, he had begun to develop feelings for her.  
He had spent his whole life purposefully aloof from women, denying his feelings in order to focus on his academic pursuits,  
but he'd been unable to ignore his desire for Audrey. He sat watching her, now wanting her more than anything.

They ate dinner at Audrey's dining table, which she had decorated with a small vase of flowers and candles.  
She had changed the record to something more low key while they ate.  
She had cooked three delicious courses for Egon, ending the meal with a rich chocolate cake.  
"You're an amazing cook," he told her truthfully. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten so well.  
"Thank you. Like I've told you before, it's nice to have someone to cook for," she replied with a smile.

She made Egon a coffee and placed it carefully on the table in front of the couch where he was now sitting.  
She sat down next to him; her legs tucked up on the couch, and took a sip from her own coffee cup.  
Audrey spoke of the places she still wanted to visit around the city while Egon looked at her face, taking in her big blue eyes and freckled nose.  
It seems her days spent in the sun had brought out more little brown flecks.  
_She is so beautiful_, he thought.  
Audrey stopped talking, noticing that Egon seemed distracted.  
"Are you okay?" she asked, placing her cup on the coffee table.  
"Yes" he replied, placing his own cup on the table. It may have been the wine, but his feelings for Audrey began to bubble up and overflow.  
He wondered if he should tell her how he felt about her, how beautiful she was.  
Before he got the chance, Audrey leaned into him, softly kissing his lips.  
Although it hadn't been said, she was sure he felt as strongly for her as she did for him.

Egon kissed Audrey deeper, wrapping his arms around her as she slid into his lap.  
She had already decided that tonight would be the night they'd sleep together.  
After weeks of flirtatious behaviour and stolen kisses, she simply couldn't wait any longer.  
She wanted him.  
Now.  
From what Audrey could feel beneath her, Egon wanted her as well.

She pulled back from him, allowing them both to catch their breath.  
He gazed up at her, mouth agape, wanting more.  
Egon had never been so forward with a woman before.  
He had always found himself tongue tied and awkward with those he had feelings for, which inevitably led nowhere.  
Things were different with Audrey.  
Her directness and playful nature had really brought him out of his shell, and now as she sat in his lap, he was ready to show her how much he wanted her.

Audrey began to unbutton the front of her dress.  
She had deliberately chosen this dress, primarily for it's colour but also because it was easy to remove.  
She unbuttoned just enough to reveal a hint of her cleavage in a red lace bra.  
Egon was incredibly turned on by the sight unfolding in front of him.  
He moved in and began kissing his way across Audrey's neck, her collarbone and the top of her chest.  
She closed her eyes and groaned with pleasure, running her fingers through his hair.  
This was just too good; it was making her lightheaded.

She hopped out of his lap.  
Egon pushed his glasses up his nose.  
His hair was a mess, his tie crooked. He was almost panting with desire for Audrey.  
She stood in front of him and continued to unbutton her dress, slowly, like unwrapping a present.  
Button by button she revealed more of her creamy skin.  
Egon's heart was pounding.  
She slipped her dress off, revealing nothing but lacy red underwear. She stood in front of Egon, letting him take her all in.  
He feasted on her body; the curve of her breasts, her hips, her thighs. She was perfection and he was aching for her.  
Without saying a word, Audrey grabbed Egon's hand and led him towards the bedroom.


	11. News Travels Fast Around Here

Egon awoke to the smell of something sweet.  
He reached for his glasses on the bedside table and slipped them on, realising he was in Audrey's bed.  
The events of the night before suddenly rushed through his mind.  
He remembered Audrey: her smell, her taste, her soft skin against his.  
He'd never had a night like that before.  
Egon rolled over to face Audrey's side of the bed, but he found himself alone.  
He got up, found his clothes scattered across the floor and dressed quickly.

Egon walked into the lounge room to find Audrey in the kitchen juicing oranges.  
"Good morning" she said with a smile as he walked into the room. "I'm making pancakes. I was going to bring them in to you."  
"I thought I'd smelt something good" he replied.  
After having succumbed to Audrey last night and holding nothing back, he suddenly felt awkward standing in her lounge room in the sobering sunlight.  
Audrey glanced over at him and smiled.  
"You don't have to be so nervous, Egon. Sit down" she said, nodding to the dining table, signalling for him to take a seat.  
She poured a glass of orange juice and brought it over to him.  
It wasn't until she moved from behind the kitchen bench that Egon caught sight of what Audrey was wearing.  
She was wearing nothing but a tight t-shirt that barely covered her bellybutton and a pair of underwear; her hair was pulled up into a messy bun.  
Egon could trace the outline of her bare breasts underneath her shirt. He quickly looked away.  
Audrey placed the glass down and leaned against the table, a huge grin on her face.  
Egon looked up at her.  
"Relax!" she said with a giggle, amused at Egon's awkwardness.  
"It's just…" he started.  
Audrey leant down and kissed his mouth before he could finish his sentence.  
He could smell her hair. It brought back memories of last night, how her long strands had tickled his body.  
"Relax" repeated Audrey with a reassuring look on her face.  
She made her way back to the kitchen, giving Egon a view of her barely covered backside on the way.  
After they had eaten breakfast together, they said their farewells and Egon left for work. Audrey promised to call him later.

It was after nine by the time Egon arrived at the firehouse. He tried his best to sneak in undetected, but Janine greeted him as soon as he entered the building, a knowing smirk on her face. There was no denying where he'd spent the night. After heading upstairs for a shower and to change, Egon set straight to work checking the containment unit in the basement.  
As he was taking notes on a clipboard, Peter came bounding down the stairs.  
"Good morning, Casanova!" shot Peter.  
"Morning" replied Egon, barely looking up from his notes.  
He attempted to look busy to avoid talking to Peter, but it didn't seem like his strategy was going to work.  
Egon looked up to find Peter staring at him, a grin on his face.  
"How was your night?" Peter asked as he walked around the room, tossing an apple into the air and catching it again.  
"Fine" replied Egon as he looked back down at his notes.  
Peter stood in front of Egon and pulled his clipboard down with a finger.  
"Only fine?" probed Peter, clearly delighted in making Egon feel uncomfortable while also interested in getting some racy details.  
Egon cleared his throat.  
"We all know you spent the night at Audrey's place. News travels fast around here, you should know that!" said Peter, tossing the apple into the air again.  
Egon didn't know what to say. He clutched his clipboard in his hands.  
"So, you got laid?" asked Peter, his grin widening.  
"Venkman, I'm not going to answer..." started Egon.  
"You got laid," interrupted Peter, slapping Egon on the shoulder. "About time too. You spend way too much time with your little spore samples and slime experiments. I was starting to worry about you, man."  
Egon stared at Peter, an unimpressed look on his face.  
"You know, I'm glad I let you have Audrey" continued Peter. "She could have been mine, but I thought to myself 'Egon needs a cute girl more than I do. He needs to loosen up, have some fun, _live_ a little' and here we are" he concluded as he walked over to a filing cabinet and began to dig around in the top drawer.  
He pulled out a book, dusted off the cover and tossed it to Egon.  
"Well, now that you're back in the game, you might want to brush up on your skills. You can thank me later" he said with a wink before taking a bite of his apple and climbing back up the stairs.  
Egon looked down at the book and read the title: The Joy of Sex.  
He smirked before tossing it aside and continuing with his work.


	12. Waiting for a Sign

Audrey arrived at the firehouse on another warm evening.  
As the summer months had sweltered on, she had found herself spending more and more time at the firehouse with the Ghostbusters.  
It had almost become her second home by now. Among spending time with Egon, Audrey had taken on the role of cooking for the Ghostbusters a couple of times a week in an effort to get them to eat better - on the condition that someone else would clean up.  
It was an arrangement that seemed to have brought them all closer, especially as Audrey insisted that everyone eat together at the dining table.  
She had commented that she felt like Wendy and they were the Lost Boys, but she enjoyed being around them and they enjoyed having her around just as much.

Over the summer, Audrey's relationship with all of the Ghostbusters had grown.  
Peter would playfully tease Audrey at any chance he got (usually about dating Egon, her clumsiness or her accent) but Audrey would always have a witty reply, which Peter loved.  
Ray and Audrey would dedicate one night a week to watching old horror films, which they both had a passion for (The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Blob were favourites). Together they'd sit on the couch munching popcorn, allowing Egon time to tend to his experiments or Ghostbusting gear.  
Egon was always happy on these nights, having Audrey nearby was all he needed.  
He'd regularly look over at her chatting and laughing with Ray and would occasionally get a smile and a lusty look from her direction as he worked.  
One of his favourite arrangements though, was when she'd sit next to him, softly strumming the guitar and singing while he'd take notes or continue building a mysterious new piece of machinery.  
Even Winston had gotten to know Audrey. They would mostly talk about music – particularly their shared admiration for Prince (Audrey had tried to get Egon to listen to Purple Rain, but he had scrunched his face up in objection).

Things between Audrey and Egon had also heated up over the summer.  
After the first night he'd spent at Audrey's apartment, there was no denying they were officially together.  
Since then they began seeing each other more and more, to the point where it was almost a daily occurrence for them to spend time together.  
Their feelings for one another had grown to the point now that Egon was starting to become anxious.  
He wanted so badly to tell Audrey how he really felt about her, that he loved her, but he was having trouble saying it.  
He'd never been good at articulating his feelings for those he cared about and he'd never told anyone he loved them, not even his parents.  
It was almost as if he was waiting for a sign from Audrey before he could say those three words.

Audrey opened the firehouse door and greeted Ray and Peter before making her way over to Egon who was adjusting a piece of equipment with a screw driver.  
He lay the equipment on the table before leaning down and planting a kiss on Audrey's forehead.  
Despite the progress of their relationship, he still felt uncomfortable with public displays of affection, particularly in front of Ray and _especially_ Peter.  
"Hey Ray, I found this today" said Audrey, pulling a VHS tape out of her handbag and holding it up for Ray to see.  
"Oh great! I've been wanting to watch more Japanese horror!" replied Ray enthusiastically.  
"Ugh, I'm surrounded by nerds," piped Peter with a roll of his eyes. "Not tonight you guys. You're all coming out with me. We're going to drink beer and do a little karaoke. First round is on me!"  
"What's the occasion?" quizzed Ray.  
"Well, my heart swells with pride knowing that our little Speng's and the beautiful Miss Blythe are swapping more bodily fluids than just saliva. That's worth celebrating," replied Peter with a hint of sarcasm. "Plus Dana is returning my calls."  
"Ha, well then I'm sure it's not just your heart that swells, Pete," replied Audrey, exchanging smirks with Egon.  
Audrey had learnt all about Peter's history with Dana, including detailed retellings of the incidents with Gozer, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Vigo the Carpathian.

Peter went on to explain the plan for the evening.  
He had organised for everyone - Egon, Ray, Audrey, Winston, Janine and Louis to come out and celebrate with him tonight.  
With a little persuasion, Ray drove to the bar of Peter's choice and parked the Ecto-1.  
It had been Audrey's first trip in the Ghostbuster's Cadillac and she'd asked Ray, with encouragement from Peter, if they could ride with the lights and siren on.  
Spotting Egon in the rear-view mirror shaking his head, Ray told Audrey no (although once Egon was out of earshot, he did tell her he would take her for a drive with sirens and lights blazing sometime soon).  
Together they all walked into the bar and looked around the dingy room for Janine, Louis and Winston who were meeting them there.

The dimly lit bar was filled with leather booths and a haze of cigarette smoke.  
A bright spotlight shone down onto a drunken reveller struggling to keep up with the song blaring from the karaoke machine.  
Peter spotted Janine, Louis and Winston tucked into a booth near the stage and he made his way over with Ray, Egon and Audrey following behind.  
After they greeted each other and sat down, Winston asked Peter if he was going to buy them all a round of drinks, like he'd promised.  
"Sure, I'll buy you all a round – once you sing a song!" replied Peter with a devilish grin.  
"Huh, I knew there'd be a catch," replied Winston, shaking his head.

A drink or two later, the karaoke had picked up and was providing an excellent source of commentary for the group.  
Janine had begged Louis, unsuccessfully, to join her in a duet of 'I've Got You Babe.'  
She instead sung her way through 'Material Girl', which earned her a cocktail from Peter.  
Peter performed a song, which he dedicated to the waitress. Ray sung a nostalgic hit and Louis accidentally chose a song he didn't know, while Winston decided to leave early, before being pressured to sing.  
Peter spurred Egon to have a go, but Egon just closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. There was no way he was getting up on stage.  
Peter then shifted his focus to Audrey, who was taking a sip from her wine glass.  
He smiled at her.  
"Lucky last, Audrey" he said with a grin. "Show us what you've got."  
Audrey drained the last of her wine from her glass before placing it on the table.  
She looked over at Egon, who looked back at her with an eyebrow raised, not sure whether she was going to accept Peter's challenge or not.  
"Okay" she said before standing up.  
She was feeling just drunk enough to do this. She reached over and took Ray's cigarette out of his mouth, taking a long draw before giving it back to him.  
Ray looked over at Peter and Egon in surprise at Audrey's move.  
"This is for you," she said to Egon before moving over to the stage to organise her song.  
"Oh Egon, this is gonna be good" taunted Peter, rubbing his hands together and chuckling.  
Egon shifted nervously in his seat, not sure what he was about to witness.

Audrey waited for a drunken lady to finish singing a bad version of 'Walk Like an Egyptian' before taking the stage underneath the bright spotlight to wait for her song to begin.  
The music started: slow strings.  
Egon recognised the song straight away – 'At Last.'  
His jaw dropped as Audrey began to sing.  
He had known she could sing, as she often did while playing the guitar at the firehouse, but tonight was something else.  
Her voice was sweet and delicate, yet strong enough to carry each note with ease.  
"Oh Spengs, you lucky thing" said Peter, nudging Egon's shoulder.  
Egon pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
He couldn't believe she was singing this song to him. It had been a song he'd known from his childhood.  
His mother would sing it to his father, but never as well as the way Audrey was singing it to him now.  
This was the sign he'd been waiting for.

Once the song ended, Audrey left the stage and made her way back to the booth where she was met with compliments from around the table.  
She sat down next to Egon, waiting for him to say something but he just looked looked at her, speechless.  
Tonight was the night he would tell her that he loved her.


	13. Three Little Words

They arrived back at the firehouse in the early hours of the morning, after dropping Janine and Louis off at her place and Peter at his apartment.  
Ray went straight to bed, but Egon had a different plan for Audrey and himself.  
As Audrey waited in the lounge room, Egon rummaged through the storeroom for some blankets, pillows and a spare rug.  
"What are you doing with those?" asked Audrey, a curious look on her face.  
"Follow me," he said, cracking a window open as best he could with an arm full of blankets.  
"Where…?" started Audrey, now looking confused.  
Before she could finish her sentence, Egon disappeared through the window.  
Audrey ran after him, poking her head through the window sill only to find him standing on the fire escape.  
"Come on" he urged her.  
She crawled through the window, stumbling a little when she landed on the fire escape. Egon reached out to steady her balance.  
"I want to show you one of my favourite places," he said to her.

He took her hand and led her up to the top of the stairs and onto the roof of the firehouse.  
His fungus collection was up here, but he didn't intend to show that to Audrey tonight.  
Instead he lay down the rug, the blankets and the pillows in the centre of the roof before lying down on top.  
Audrey, following his lead, lay down next to him.  
They both looked up to the sky.  
It was a warm, clear night and there was not a cloud to be seen.  
A few stars twinkled faintly in the dark blue sky above, while lights from the city flickered all around them.  
The sounds from the street could barely be heard from the rooftop.  
It seemed like the world had become almost non-existent, peaceful, except for the two of them and the skyline.

"It's beautiful up here," said Audrey quietly.  
"I like to come here sometimes to think. I've had some of my best ideas happen up here" Egon replied.  
Audrey rolled onto her side to look at Egon, prompting him to roll over and look at Audrey in return.  
They smiled at each other, both suddenly reminded of their first kiss in the park at the beginning of the summer.  
He ran his hand gently over Audrey's, linking his fingers in between hers.  
"Have you noticed that when we kiss, the freckles in our eyes are perfectly aligned?" asked Egon.  
_That is possibly the most romantic thing he's ever said to me_, thought Audrey, suddenly feeling a little dizzy.  
They leaned in to kiss, both overflowing with love for one another.  
Egon sat up.  
This was the moment he wanted to tell Audrey how he felt about her.

"I love you," whispered Audrey as she too sat up, staring into his eyes.  
Egon was suddenly caught off guard. She'd just spoken the very words that he was about to say to her.  
He leaned into Audrey, resting his forehead against hers.  
"I love you, too" he whispered before they kissed again, electricity surging between them.  
"Do you think anyone else will…?" started Audrey as she looked around, biting her lip.  
"No, we're completely alone" finished Egon, knowing exactly what she was thinking.  
They snuggled down under the blankets, caught up in the moment.

Egon awoke first.  
He felt around for his glasses, slipped them on and looked over at Audrey who was still sound asleep.  
He's spent many mornings waking at her side by now, but he still found such pleasure in watching her sleep.  
Her hair swirled softly in the soft morning breeze and he noticed the various shades of colour in her hair, lightened by afternoons spent in the summer sun.  
Her lips, pink and full, pouted as she slept. It was quiet moments like these when Egon caught himself thinking how lucky he was to be with Audrey.

Audrey awoke to the heat of the early morning sun beaming down on her.  
She opened her eyes and found Egon looking at her, a smile on his face.  
"How long have you been awake?" she asked him with a yawn.  
"Only a few minutes" he replied. "It might be a good idea to get dressed now. The office workers will be making their way up the buildings soon and I don't want them to see anything unnecessary" he finished as he sat up and buttoned his shirt.  
They got dressed and stood looking over the edge of the building together.  
"The city is so peaceful from up here," said Audrey as they both gazed down at the cars and people moving below.  
"You know, I've never been in love with anyone before," she said after a long pause. "Not like this anyway. I've always kept one foot on the ground."

They climbed down the fire escape, every step taking them closer back to the reality of another New York day.  
Climbing through the window and back into the lounge room, they could hear the sound of Ray's snoring filtering from the bedroom.  
Audrey turned to Egon and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  
She smiled up at him and was overcome with a sense of relief.  
She'd had those three words on the tip of her tongue for a while now and was glad she had worked up the courage to tell Egon how she really felt about him.  
She was delighted that he had said the words back to her.  
Egon leant down to Audrey and kissed her lips as he held her tightly in his arms.  
"Oh, I just remembered, I have something for you. Wait here." he said, pulling away from her.  
He left the lounge room, walked downstairs to his locker, shuffled around for something before heading back upstairs, his hands behind his back.  
"It'd better not be anything slimy," said Audrey, looking sceptical.  
Egon walked over to Audrey and handed her the object from behind his back. It was a kitsch brown cat ornament – the missing half to the one by the phone in her apartment.  
She looked up at him, her mouth agape in surprise that he'd been so observant of the things in her apartment.  
He smiled down at her.  
"Thank you," she said, "Where did…?"  
"I have my sources," he said with a nod of his head.  
Audrey stood on her tiptoes and leant in to kiss Egon again.

Audrey sighed happily on her way home in the morning sunlight.  
The sound of the city was lost to her as she walked down the street with a skip in her step.  
She had confessed her feelings to the man she loves and he had reciprocated, nothing could feel as good as that.  
In the heat of the New York summer, their love for one another had fizzled together like ice cream and lemonade.


	14. Rhizomes

The summer ended.  
The leaves fell from the trees.  
The days grew colder.

Audrey had settled into the routine of work, which she loved.  
She always had an amusing anecdote from one of the children to share with the boys, whom she still saw on the nights Egon didn't stay at her apartment.  
By now she was spending so much time at the firehouse, Egon had converted a storage room on the top floor into a makeshift bedroom, complete with a double bed and crates for bedside tables.  
They would spend their nights together at the firehouse surrounded by boxes of glass vials and electrical parts, their bed an island amongst the cluttered storage space.  
It wasn't ideal, but it meant a lot to Audrey that Egon would sacrifice precious workspace so they could spend nights in one another's arms.  
Plus it meant Egon didn't have to worry about Audrey getting home late at night.

On a cool afternoon on the roof of the firehouse, Audrey poured soil in a large pot while Egon attended to his fungi collection.  
She took the iris rhizomes she had bought and planted them in the soil, patting the soil down around them.  
They wouldn't bloom until late spring or early summer of next year.  
She knew she wouldn't see them bloom – her teaching contract would have ended and she'd be back in Australia by then.  
She was planting them as a leaving gift for Egon, a reminder of her love for him.  
Egon had sensed Audrey's reason for planting the irises and it made his heart ache.  
He couldn't bare the thought of Audrey leaving. Not now. He loved her too much.  
Despite his feelings, Egon couldn't seem to raise the issue with Audrey.  
He wasn't sure whether they could continue to see each other, or whether the end of her contract would mean the end of their love.  
The thought of hearing the answer made him swallow the question each time it was on his lips.

Without saying a word, Audrey stood up and brushed the soil from her hands.  
Egon moved to her.  
He suddenly needed to hold her close, to reassure himself that she was still here with him now.  
Audrey rested her head against his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat, feeling his warmth while the cold wind blew against them both.  
She knew exactly what this was embrace meant.  
She felt a sadness stirring inside her, but she couldn't find the words to talk to Egon about it.  
For now their fears, the eventual end, was not worth thinking about.


	15. Happy Birthday

"It's someone's special day today!" said Audrey excitedly as she walked into the firehouse lounge room with a white box in her hands, Peter, Janine and Louis following behind her.  
It was November 21st, Egon's birthday.  
Egon was standing in the kitchen with Ray, both closely examining a small metal rod in Egon's hand.  
They both looked over as Audrey entered the room while Egon slipped the metal rod into his pocket.  
Audrey placed the box gently on the dining table and walked over to Egon, hugging him from behind and kissing his cheek when he turned around to face her.  
Audrey was more excited about his birthday than he had ever been.  
"Thirty three today, how exciting!" she said using her singsong teacher voice.  
Egon looked around the room at everyone smiling at him.  
Normally, he'd just treat his birthday like any other day, not wanting to create a fuss or draw attention to himself.  
He realised this year was different and felt flattered that Audrey would want to celebrate his birthday enough to organise his small posse of friends together.

"Hey Ray, got a lighter handy?" asked Audrey.  
Ray dug around in his pocket, found his lighter and tossed it to Audrey.  
Janine forced Egon to sit at the dining table as everyone else gathered around.  
Audrey lit 18 candles, one placed on each cupcake from the white box, which spelt out: HAPPY BIRTHDAY EGON!  
Once lit, everyone sang happy birthday while Egon fidgeted awkwardly in his chair.  
As everyone followed Peter's lead in clapping and cheering, Audrey moved into Egon and stuck three stickers on his vest.  
He looked at the stickers: "Happy Birthday" said one with a picture of a cake, "I'm the birthday boy!" said another with a grinning cartoon dog and the biggest sticker of all, complete with shiny gold finish, said "I'm 5 today!" but the 5 had been crossed out with pen to read "I'm 33 today!"  
Egon looked up at Audrey.  
"Thanks" he said with a raise of his eyebrows.  
Audrey squeezed his shoulder and grinned at him, trying to contain a giggle.

The cupcakes were passed around and soon devoured.  
"Oh gosh, Audrey. These cupcakes really are somethin'. You need to write down the address of the bakery for me" said Janine, a mouth full of cake.  
"Will do," replied Audrey. "I would have baked some myself, but I've been waiting for an excuse to buy something from that bakery. I pass it every morning on the way to school."  
She looked over at Egon, who was now standing and talking to Louis.  
He looked over at her and smiled warmly, grateful for Audrey's efforts.

Later that night, Egon and Audrey went for a stroll in an attempt to work off their sugar overload from earlier.  
Audrey didn't tell Egon that he still had the stickers on his vest, which were causing a few strange looks in his direction.  
"I hope I didn't embarrass you earlier," said Audrey as they walked along, her arm linked in his.  
"Ah, well, maybe a little, but I appreciate the gesture" he replied.  
"I just couldn't resist. I'm always making such a big deal of kids' birthdays that I just couldn't help but do something for you too. Plus it was fun watching you squirm in your seat when everyone sung Happy Birthday!" she said as she started laughing.

"Oh! That reminds me! Close your eyes!" she said as she jumped excitedly on the spot.  
Egon furrowed his brows, confused at what Audrey meant.  
Audrey pulled Egon to the side of the footpath under a bright streetlight and began to search for something in her coat pocket.  
"Close your eyes!" she repeated.  
Egon looked sceptical, but did as she asked.  
"Hold out your hand."  
Again, he did as she asked.  
He suddenly felt something cold and metallic in his hands.  
He opened his eyes.  
It was a slinky.  
"Ray told me you never had toys when you were a child. So, my advice as an early childhood educator is to revisit your younger years and find your inner child!" she said with a grin. "Except, you're not allowed to straighten this one!"  
He smiled at her.  
Ray and Audrey had developed quite the friendship over the summer.  
He had even acted as Egon's stand in for things Audrey had wanted to do but Egon didn't – such as a trip to Coney Island. Egon wondered how much Ray and Audrey had spoken about him and what they might have discussed.  
_It must have been positive_, he reasoned.  
Looking down at the slinky, he noticed something taped inside.  
After carefully unpeeling the tape, he pulled out two slips of paper – tickets to the opera, one of his most precious pass times.  
"Audrey, thank you so much" he said, wrapping his arms around her.  
"You're welcome! It's not everyday you turn 33, you know" she replied before they continued their walk back to the firehouse.

Upon their return, Audrey organised the next part of Egon's birthday present.  
While he was showering, she went to their room on the third floor and set to work.  
She lit candles that she had arranged into clusters around the room, enough to cast a soft, romantic glow.  
_The perfect mood setter_, she thought to herself with a smile before she readied herself for Egon to enter the room.  
Egon opened the door, caught by surprise by the candles.  
His eyes met Audrey's, before he looked down at the rest of her.  
She was lying provocatively on the bed.  
He raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't anticipated being seduced tonight.  
Audrey stood up, allowing Egon to fully notice what she was wearing: his beige Ghostbusters uniform.  
Egon quickly shut the door behind him before Audrey moved over to him, slowly, like a tiger stalking its prey.  
She leant in close to him, playing with his tie.  
"So, I thought you might be interested in, maybe, _crossing streams_ tonight" she said with a cheeky smile.  
Egon cleared his throat.  
Never had he imagined his own words would be used in such a manner.  
He was suddenly very turned on.  
Audrey slowly began to unzip the uniform, unzipping down to her bellybutton.  
Egon could make out the soft form of her bare breasts, half revealed under the fabric.  
His breathing deepened.  
Audrey pressed her body against his, staring up into his eyes. She ran her hand down his chest, further, further until she reached his pants.  
She smiled at him as she began to gently caress him.  
He closed his eyes and groaned quietly, overcome with pleasure.  
Audrey leaned up and kissed his lips.  
Pulling away from him, she backed her way to the bed and fell back onto the mattress, quickly followed by Egon.


	16. Snow and Ice

November ended and December began.

Audrey woke to find Egon, still in his pyjamas, staring out the window with a cup of coffee in his hand.  
"How long have you been awake?" she asked him with a yawn.  
"A while" he replied. "I've been watching the snow fall."  
"Snow?!" said Audrey excitedly. "Are you serious?!"  
She leapt out of bed and looked out the window, nearly squealing with excitement at the sight of the snow that had blanketed everything outside during the night.  
Egon looked at her with a smile.  
Over the months he'd witnessed her childlike excitement over many things he'd considered commonplace – squirrels, candy bars, the subway and now snow.  
"Want to go to the roof to get a better look?" he asked her, before realising she was already hurrying to layer clothes over her pyjamas.

On the roof Egon watched Audrey twirling around, her face to the sky as the snow fell to the ground.  
"It's so beautiful!" she exclaimed, running back to him.  
"It is while it's fresh. It won't stay this way" he replied, his hands buried deep in his pockets.  
They peered over the edge of the roof to the street below.  
The streets were silent. No cars or people were on the ground, creating a rather peaceful scene.  
"I hope it's like this for Christmas" she said.  
She looked over at Egon, who was looking at her.  
"You look cold" he said, reaching for her.  
She shivered in his arms.

"We should go ice skating!" she exclaimed suddenly, pulling away from him.  
"With your sense of balance, do you really think that's a good idea?" he asked her with a raise of his eyebrow.  
"Probably not, but you only live once" was Audrey's reply. "Besides, I'm trying to immerse myself in the festive season."  
She smiled sweetly at him. How could he resist?  
Egon let out a defeated sigh.  
"This could end badly," he said with a slow shake of his head.

Later that day with ice skates on, Audrey clutched Egon's arm as he helped her onto the ice.  
He let go of her and glided away, giving her space to find her balance.  
Audrey stood on the spot, afraid to move.  
"Alright, I'm ice skating!" she exclaimed.  
"Ah, I wouldn't call that skating. You really need to be moving," replied Egon as he started circling her.  
Egon was a natural ice skater. It had been a favourite pastime of his during his childhood in Ohio.  
"Pfft, alright show off," replied Audrey as she shuffled her skates awkwardly along the ice, her arms extended outwards in an attempt to keep upright.  
"This is way harder than roller skating."  
Audrey's legs wobbled. She waved her arms around, trying to regain her balance.  
Egon reached for her but she had already fallen onto the ice.  
"Ouch, my ass!" she exclaimed as she tried to stand up again, her legs darting in all directions.  
She started giggling at her own incompetence, which made her slide around even more.  
Egon steadied himself and reached down to pull her up.  
Back on her feet again, she clutched Egon tightly.  
"I'm holding on to you from now on" she said, rubbing a hand over her sore backside.  
They skated around the rink with hands tightly clasped together, although Audrey eventually loosened her grip as she gained more confidence.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that I'm a terrible ice-skater," said Audrey with a giggle once they had made their way back onto the street.  
"You did better than I expected," replied Egon.  
"And what exactly were you expecting, Dr Spengler?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.  
"A broken bone, maybe two" he replied with a smirk.  
Audrey playfully jabbed Egon in the ribs.  
"We'll I'm sorry I'll never be the Torvill to your Dean" she said.  
"That's okay. I'd rather you be the Marie to my Pierre Curie" he replied, looking down at her with a smile.  
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips before they continued walking down the street, her arm linked in his.

Egon was overcome with a sense of light-heartedness as they walked the streets together.  
The weather was dreary and cold, the days short and dark, but Audrey's constant marvelling at the Christmas lights overhead and the themed window displays made him happy.  
He'd never given much thought to Christmas; it had always been just another day when he was a child, even more so as an adult.  
In contrast, it was Audrey's favourite time of year.  
She revelled in all things Christmas and was finding it essential this year to get into the spirit, as it was to be her first wintertime Christmas.  
He wouldn't admit it, but Egon loved Audrey's enthusiasm for every new experience she'd encounter and for always wanting to celebrate festivities – first his birthday and now Christmas.  
It was something he found new and refreshing and he couldn't help but get swept up in her excitement too.  
They continued to walk down the street, both content and happy.  
The holiday season was working its magic.


	17. In the Spirit

"Merry Christmas!" exclaimed Audrey as she opened the door to Egon, Peter and Ray late on Christmas morning.  
The wreath on her door jangled with the movement of the door.  
She was wearing a bright red dress and her golden hair was pinned up neatly, which showed off the green and red bauble earrings that jangled from her ears.  
She greeted Ray with a hug, then Peter, who asked, "what the hell are those things in your ears?"  
"They're from my mum. We have a tradition where each Christmas we buy each other the worst festive earrings possible" she replied with a smile.  
"And I'm guessing she won this year," replied Peter.  
"Well, I found her some reindeer heads with flashing eyes, so I think I won. Gotta love China Town!" replied Audrey with a giggle.  
She hugged Egon and they kissed quickly on the lips.  
"You guys are like the three wise men," said Audrey, shutting the decorated door behind her.  
They looked at her with confused expressions.  
"You each came with a gift!" she replied, nodding at the presents in their hands.  
"Oh yeah, we brought a few things for you, as a thank you for having us over today" said Ray with a smile.  
"Aww thanks, guys. You know you didn't have to do that!" replied Audrey, as they each moved to place the gifts under her Christmas tree.  
The apartment had been decorated with a gorgeous pine tree, filling the room with a fresh pine scent.  
Shiny tinsel and baubles hung from the branches.  
Christmas carols were playing on her record player. Audrey's apartment was Christmas heaven.

Lunch was served and eaten swiftly, the boys grateful for such a feast on a day that usually meant Chinese takeaway.  
The wine Peter had brought acted as a perfect accompaniment and helped to keep everyone in high spirits.  
Audrey had cut no corners with lunch, wanting it to be as traditional as possible.  
She had cooked a leg of ham, a turkey roll with cranberry sauce, an abundance of roast vegetables and stuffing.  
For dessert, a pavlova beautifully decorated with fruit, passion fruit syrup and spun sugar was served.  
The boys had salivated at the sight of it.  
"Audrey, you're amazing," said Peter, his face full of his last bite of pavlova.  
Ray nodded in agreement as he chewed slowly.  
"Do you have any sisters?" asked Peter, half joking but also half serious.  
"Ha, 'fraid not!" replied Audrey, as she cleared the table with Egon's help.

After they had eaten, the presents were passed around and unwrapped.  
Audrey received a beautiful cookbook from Ray and Peter.  
"I get the feeling this is a hint," said Audrey, flicking through the pages with a suspicious grin on her face.  
Audrey had bought Ray a wooden box filled with Cuban cigars, for Peter a VHS copy of Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy to "add to his collection."  
Egon carefully unwrapped his gift from Audrey.  
He peeled back the festive paper to reveal an old, thick manuscript.  
He looked closely at the hand written title: Tobin's Spirit Guide DRAFT COPY  
Egon looked up at Audrey, his eyes wide.  
"Thought you might like that. It's filled with a lot of stuff that ended up getting cut from the published version, plus it's all hand written by Tobin himself," said Audrey, casually.  
"This is impossible. This manuscript was destroyed when Tobin's house burnt down in the 1930s," said Egon in disbelief.  
"His second manuscript was, but this one had been tucked away in a relatives house and was only discovered recently. It's been authenticated. It's signed by Tobin and everything. Have a look through, it's cool. The illustrations are creepy" she finished, flipping open to a page and pointing to an illustration.  
"Whoa, how do you know so much about Tobin's Spirit Guide?" asked Peter, impressed at her knowledge of such an important referencing tool used amongst the Ghostbusters.  
"I pay attention," replied Audrey with a wink.  
"Where did you find this?" asked Egon, as he carefully turned the pages, Ray peering over his shoulder.  
"Uh, the old guy who lives a couple of doors down from me is an antique book dealer specialising in rare and unusual works. I told him to keep an eye out for anything along the lines of the paranormal and he ended up finding me the jackpot, it seems" replied Audrey with a shrug of her shoulders.  
"You actually talk to your neighbours?" asked Peter, scrunching up his face.  
"Yeah, I talk to everyone I meet. I know most of the people in the building. It pays to be nice, you know," replied Audrey.  
"Oh man, you haven't been in New York long enough," answered Peter.

While the snow fell outside, Peter had insisted on putting on his new VHS tape.  
Together Audrey, Egon, Ray and Peter squashed together on her couch, watching the video and passing a bowl of candy back and forth.  
"How about this Audrey, is this a tradition too?" asked Peter with a laugh during a rather detailed scene.  
"Not exactly how I'd imagined spending Christmas afternoon, but I'm going with it" she replied, tilting her head to get a better perspective at what was happening on the screen.  
Egon had his head buried in the manuscript, completely oblivious to the video.

Once Ray and Peter had left, their arms loaded up with leftovers, Egon turned to Audrey.  
"I can't believe you found that manuscript," he said, still baffled at the find.  
"Anything for you, my love" she replied with a smile as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
"Now it's time for your present" said Egon softly.  
Audrey pulled away from Egon excitedly.  
He moved over to the Christmas tree and reached down to pick up a small black box that had almost become lost amongst the tree branches.  
He handed the box to Audrey.  
She furrowed her brow, trying to guess what it was.  
"Open it" Egon prompted. "I think you're going to like this."


	18. Christopher

Audrey lifted the flap of the box to find a small metal rod inside.  
Along one side of the rod was a black slit and three black buttons on one end.  
'What is this?" she asked, confused.  
She recognised the rod, she had seen Egon and Ray looking at it on Egon's birthday and a few times since, but Egon was never willing to answer her questions about it – until now.  
"Come with me, I'll show you" he said, leading her by the hand to her spare bedroom.  
He opened the door and flicked the light switch, illuminating the almost empty room.  
He moved over to the chest of drawers that were against a wall and placed the metal rod down on top, the black slit facing upwards.  
He stood back and faced Audrey.  
"I won't bore you with the science, but I've created a devise which will allow you to talk to your deceased brother" said Egon bluntly.  
"Wh… what?" stammered Audrey, her stomach tightening with a wave of nausea.  
_Is he making fun of me_, she wondered, confused by what was happening.  
Her youngest brother, Christopher, had died years ago in a car accident.  
She had mentioned him to Egon months ago when he had looked at a family photo, but she had refused to go into more detail about what had happened.  
"I sensed you had some unresolved… _tension_, in your family regarding your brother. I designed and build this devise for you so you could talk to him" offered Egon, sensing Audrey's confusion.  
Audrey looked at him, still not sure if he was playing some sort of sick joke.

"Here, look," said Egon, moving back to the devise and pressing the buttons on the side.  
Suddenly a thin stream of bright light shot out from the black slit on the metal rod.  
A soft green light illuminated the room and flickered with what looked like television static.  
"I've opened the portal for you. Just wait, he'll come," said Egon before he kissed Audrey's forehead and left the room, turning off the light and closing the door on his way out.  
Audrey stared at the door before turning to face the device, her face lit up by the green glow.  
She stared at the beam of light, watching the static move in an almost hypnotic haze.  
_Had Egon really found a way for me to talk to my brother_, she wondered.  
She thought about his line of work, his intelligence. She suddenly began to believe it could be possible.  
Audrey took a step closer to the beam of light, when the static started to flicker with wavy lines.  
She stood frozen, not knowing what was happening.  
The flickering lines begin to take form. With each flicker, the wavy lines became clearer, more focused and defined, until Audrey could make out the face of her brother, Christopher.  
Audrey gasped and jumped back in surprise.

After what felt like hours, Audrey emerged from the spare bedroom, her eyes swollen and red from crying.  
Egon stood up from the couch where he'd been waiting and guided her to the bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed and sobbed into the sheets.  
Egon lay down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.  
Audrey sunk into him and sobbed into his chest.  
Lying still, he let her cry, only moving to brush her hair out of her eyes.  
He'd never seen Audrey like this before. He began to wonder if the devise was such a good idea after all.  
Once her sobbing subsided, she sat up and wiped her face with her hands.  
Egon sat up too and handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket, which she dabbed her eyes with.

Gaining her composure, she began to speak.  
She explained to Egon the truth behind Christopher's death.  
He had died in a car accident, driving alone on a vast country highway one night.  
Audrey had had an argument with him earlier that evening over something trivial that she could no longer recall.  
Their last exchange had been venomous, and the poison had only manifested into a deep sense of guilt after he had crashed his car, driving into a tree when he'd fallen asleep at the wheel.  
Audrey had locked the guilt away inside ever since, letting it eat away at her.  
It had even led her to distance herself from her family as a result, shattering the closeness they all once shared.

"Thank you" she said quietly, looking down at the bed.  
Egon looked at her, not sure what to say.  
"I never thought I'd get the chance to see him again, to say sorry. I've been carrying this guilt around with me for years. It's one of the reasons I had to leave Australia," she said, the words tumbling out.  
"Now that you've spoken to his ghost, you've been able to set him free" said Egon softly.  
She stared into Egon's eyes.  
By setting Christopher's spirit free, she had also set herself free.  
They lay down again, Audrey wrapped tightly in Egon's arms.  
She thought she'd feel vulnerable in her confession to Egon, instead she felt relieved and closer to him than ever before.  
His Christmas present had meant more to her than he'd ever know.  
In the safety of each others arms, as snow fell silently outside, they both drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep.


	19. Happy New Year

In the early evening of New Years Eve under the gloomy red glow of the firehouse darkroom, Egon was helping Audrey develop a roll of film she'd used in the last week. She had received a camera as a Christmas gift from her parents, and was feeling obligated to use it to document her travels for her family.  
"They tell me I need to send them more pictures," she said with a roll of her eyes, using the tongs to move a photograph into the tank of developer.  
Egon offered a smirk in response as he indicated to Audrey what to do next with the photographs.  
He'd been sensitive in his treatment of Audrey since Christmas, the night she'd sobbed herself to sleep in his arms.  
As painful as that night had been, it had undeniably brought them both closer, cementing not only their love for one another, but their need as well.

"Guys, I need a favour," said Peter, walking into the lab.  
"What kind of favour?" asked Egon as he carefully moved a photo into the stop bath.  
"A big one" said Peter, looking like he was about to start begging.  
"Go on" replied Egon sceptically, not liking where this request was going.  
"Dana and I had plans for tonight, big plans. This could be the night we actually get back together for real, but the babysitter cancelled at the last minute…" started Peter, his hands clenched together.  
"I think I know where this is going" interrupted Audrey as she caught Egon's eye.  
"Please, if you babysit Oscar tonight, I will make it up to you guys, I promise" said Peter, almost pleading now.  
Egon looked at Audrey with a raised eyebrow.  
He had never babysat before, in fact he hadn't spent a great deal of time around children at all.  
Audrey sighed.

"Alright, alright" she said, waving her hands in the air in defeat.  
Peter moved over to Audrey and hugged her tightly before planting a kiss on her cheek with a loud lip smacking sound.  
"Ugh, okay, settle down" she said with a scrunched face, wiping the kiss from her cheek.  
Peter moved to Egon and slapped him on the shoulder.  
"Thanks you guys, seriously, you're the best" said Peter before heading for the door and pausing.  
"Are you coming?" he said to Audrey. "He's ready for you now."  
Audrey narrowed her eyes at Peter.  
"So you were just expecting us to agree to this all along?" asked Audrey, suddenly feeling duped. "What if we'd made plans of our own?"  
Peter smiled at her sweetly.  
"If you had plans of your own, you wouldn't be spending the last hours of the year in here developing film. Come on, you're gonna love Oscar!" he said, signalling her to follow him.  
Audrey looked at Egon again before sighing and leaving the room.

"The photographs are drying now. They look really good, Audrey," said Egon as he walked out of the lab after finishing developing the remaining film for Audrey.  
"Thanks," said Audrey softly as she looked over the back of the couch at Egon.  
He moved over to her and found Oscar lying in her lap on the couch, sucking his thumb while she read The Wind in the Willows.  
His eyes were heavy with drowsiness, but he was obviously enjoying being with Audrey too much to give into sleep just yet.  
In the half an hour since arriving at the firehouse, Oscar and Audrey had formed a bond.  
Egon sat in an armchair and watched as Audrey continued reading, her voice a warm and soothing soporific.  
He felt as if he was getting a preview of the way she must read to her own class of children.  
He could understand why she was regarded as such a popular teacher within her school.

It wasn't long before Oscar was fast asleep in Audrey's arms.  
She rocked him gently and rubbed his back as they sat in silence, alone in the firehouse.  
"Well, I didn't expect to spend New Years Eve in New York City cradling a baby in my arms" said Audrey with a soft chuckle.  
"Me neither" replied Egon.  
Audrey carefully stood up and carried Oscar to his travel cot, which Peter had set up in the lounge room before leaving.  
She lay Oscar down carefully, covered him in a blanket and rubbed his back to sooth him to sleep.  
Egon sat watching her.  
His mind drifted and he fantasised that Oscar was their own child Audrey was putting to bed.  
He begin counting all the ways Audrey would make a wonderful mother, before he suddenly snapped himself out of the fantasy, shocked that he'd even had the thought to begin with.  
He'd never even thought about having children before.  
_Why now,_ he wondered.

After settling Oscar, Audrey walked over to Egon and sat on the arm of his chair.  
He placed his hand on her leg, the thick nylon from her tights rubbing against his palm.  
She responded by sliding herself into his lap and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.  
"Happy New Year" she whispered softly, resting her head on his chest.  
"Happy New Year" " he replied, closing his eyes.  
He was overcome with love for Audrey.  
For the first time, he began to wonder what his life would be like if he settled down with her.  
He visualised Audrey first as his wife, then as the mother of his children.  
They were ideas he'd never entertained before, but suddenly for the first time, they were beginning to make perfect sense.

Later that night, Peter and Dana picked up Oscar and went back to her apartment, Peter thanking Audrey profusely again.  
In the early hours of the morning, Ray stumbled upstairs into the lounge room.  
Audrey was lying on the couch, her head resting in Egon's lap as they watched TV together, Egon gently stroking her hair.  
She sat up and with Egon, they both peered over the couch at Ray.  
"Good night?" asked Egon.  
"Yeah, great night. I met someone," said Ray as he struggled to slip off his shoes.  
"Really?!" asked Audrey excitedly. "Who?! Tell us!"  
"Her name is Linda," replied Ray, now struggling to slip off his other shoe.  
"Where did you meet?" probed Audrey.  
Egon took a handful of Cheez-Its and funnelled them into his mouth.  
He was intrigued too.  
"Uh, well, we were both standing in a bar just before midnight watching the countdown on TV. She was standing right next to me and when everyone started shouting Happy New Year we, you know, kissed" said Ray.  
Audrey wolf whistled.  
"Go Ray!" she said. "Are you going to see her again?"  
"I've got her number. Do you think it would be too soon to call her tomorrow?" he asked her seriously.  
Audrey and Egon smiled at each other.

Audrey entered the storeroom bedroom.  
Egon was already in bed, his back against the wall, reading a copy of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.  
He looked up as Audrey entered the room, closing the door behind her.  
She was wearing one of his black t-shirts and a pair of his briefs.  
Audrey noticed Egon eyeing up her improvised sleepwear.  
"I forgot to bring my pyjamas," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I just grabbed these out of your locker. I'm assuming they're clean. You really should clean that locker out, you know. Hey, what do you think about Ray? How exciting for him. I hope she's nice and they end up seeing each other. How good would that be?"  
Egon didn't answer.  
Instead he slipped a bookmark between the pages of his book and placed it on the crate next to the bed.  
"Is it odd to find you so beautiful while you're wearing my clothes?" he asked her.  
Audrey smiled playfully at him before she began to crawl up the bed, over his body.  
She sat in his lap, a leg on each side of him.  
"Would you find me even more beautiful if I took them off?" she asked, biting her lip seductively.  
"My hypothesis is yes" he replied.  
Audrey paused, staring into his eyes before pulling off the t-shirt.  
Egon leaned forward, kissing Audrey, his hands on her back pulling her into him.  
She slid off his glasses and put them on top of his book before turning out the bedside light.


	20. A New Arrival

At the airport arrival lounge, Audrey waited with Egon.  
She wrung her hands anxiously, her eyes fixed to the door, waiting.  
It was March.  
Audrey's older brother Michael was due to arrive for a three-week break.  
He'd insisted it was just a holiday, but she had a feeling her parents may have sent him to check up on her and the man she had been eagerly writing home about.  
Egon, sensing Audrey's anxiousness, held her hand and squeezed it tightly.  
He was curious to meet Michael.  
Audrey had spoken of him, and her family, more frequently since Christmas.  
She had truly opened herself up to Egon, trusting him now with her innermost thoughts and fears.  
"There he is!" said Audrey as she waved excitedly.  
Egon followed her gaze and spotted Michael amongst the flow of other travellers.  
He was easy to spot – he looked just like Audrey.  
Michael was tall, tanned and blond. He had the same large blue eyes as Audrey, Egon noticed, once he had let go of his bear hug with Audrey.  
"Michael this is Egon, Egon this is Michael" said Audrey, introducing the two men as they shook hands.  
"So you're the Yank who's stolen my little sister's heart, huh?" said Michael with a big, warm smile.  
Egon smiled back.  
He liked Michael already.

The three of them caught a taxi back to Audrey's apartment, where Michael quickly made himself at home.  
Emerging from the bathroom showered and clean after the long flight, he flopped onto the couch with a sigh.  
"Nice place you got here, Auds," he said, taking a look around the apartment. "I can't believe you actually live in New York City."  
"Tell me about it. You're going to like it here" she replied, placing a cup of coffee on the table next to him, and another for Egon who was sitting in the armchair opposite.  
Audrey sat down on the arm of Egon's chair and took a sip from her own coffee cup.  
"So, how's things?" asked Audrey, referring to her family back in Australia.  
"Alright. Mum's just finished writing a bunch of new recipes, which I've been lucky enough to be the guinea pig for. Dad's almost finished restoring the yacht. Pretty much the same as always" replied Michael, sitting up and taking a sip of coffee.  
Egon had learnt that Audrey's mother was an author of a series of cookbooks, which were very popular in Australia.  
Her father was an orthodontist who enjoyed restoring old boats in his spare time.  
They lived together in a large house atop a hill overlooking the ocean in Manly, a suburb close to Sydney.  
Audrey had spoken about Manly and the Northern Beaches in great detail over the months, clearly missing the warmth of the sun and sand during the freezing New York winter.  
"So Egon, Audrey tells me you catch ghost for a living," said Michael to Egon.  
"Yes, that's correct," replied Egon.  
They spoke about Egon's work with the Ghostbusters, Audrey's school, Michael's job as a music engineer in Sydney, the photographs Audrey had taken around New York, the places Audrey had visited during her time in America and places she recommended for Michael to visit during his stay. They were discussing the latest snowfall when Audrey's phone began to ring.  
She stood up from the armchair and answered it.  
"Oh hi Ray. Sure thing, I'll let him know. Okay, bye" said Audrey before hanging up.  
"Looks like you've got a class three to deal with, Egon. Ray'll pick you up out the front in ten minutes" she said to Egon, who stood up and straightened his tie.  
"It's been nice talking to you," said Michael, extending his hand to Egon again.  
"Likewise" replied Egon, shaking his hand.  
Audrey walked over to Egon before he bent down and kissed her cheek.  
They said their farewells and Egon left, closing the apartment door carefully behind himself.

"I like him. He seems okay. A little stiff, but okay" said Michael.  
"He is okay. More than okay actually, he's great" replied Audrey with a smile.  
"You really like this one, huh?" said Michael with a smirk  
"Yeah, I do," said Audrey tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.  
"Oh no, I see what's going to happen here. Your contract's going to end in a few months and you're going to come back home all broken hearted" he teased.  
Audrey looked down.  
It was the truth; their days together were numbered.  
"Why'd you get involved if you knew it was only going to come to an end?" he asked her.  
"I hadn't planned on it happening, it just did. I love him, Michael. I don't want to leave him," said Audrey, a hint of sadness in her voice.  
"Well, I guess you've got a few months to find an answer before your contract finishes and you have to leave. You could probably figure something out," replied Michael with a shrug of his shoulders.  
Audrey walked over to the window and looked out at all the buildings.  
Time was running out.  
Could they find a way to stay together, or would she soon be leaving for Australia alone and broken hearted?


	21. Ohio's Constellations

By early April, the snow had well and truly melted and the warmth was retuning to the sun.  
Over the course of the last few weeks, Egon had been trying to convince Audrey to accompany him to Cleveland, Ohio for a weekend to meet his family.  
Audrey found the request odd.  
She knew he wasn't particularly close to his family and with her due to leave the following month, she didn't understand why he'd want to introduce her to his family now. Despite her scepticism, she agreed to spend the weekend in Cleveland with him.

Audrey felt nervous as they pulled up in a taxicab into the driveway of his childhood home.  
Sensing her worry, Egon had placed his hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly.  
Egon's mother, Kathrine, greeted them at the front door of the old house.  
She eyed up Audrey and probed her with questions, almost suspiciously, when they came into the house.  
The same thing occurred with each new Spengler Audrey met.  
By the end of the weekend she wasn't sure if they liked her or hated her.  
Most of the conversations had revolved around complex scientific theory, which Audrey could not understand let alone participate in.  
If it wasn't science, it was members of Egon's family criticising Egon's work with the Ghostbusters (they didn't consider the paranormal a worthy enough pursuit, believing Egon's intellect was wasted on it) or wanting to know more about Audrey's academic history and political standings.  
In all honesty, she'd found the whole weekend exhausting; having spent the whole time worrying about saying the wrong thing or making herself sound stupid.  
She wondered again why Egon had wanted to bring her here.

On the Sunday afternoon before they were to leave, Egon held Audrey's hand and led her up the stairs of his former home to his old bedroom.  
He opened the door and she followed him inside.  
Looking around the room, she was suddenly overwhelmed by all of the science projects organised neatly on shelfs from floor to ceiling.  
"Whoa, it's like a science fair in here!" said Audrey, genuinely surprised that this had ever been a young boys bedroom at all.  
Egon sat down on his old single bed and looked up at the ceiling where, as a child, he'd carefully mapped the constellations with great detail and accuracy in dark blue paint.  
Audrey made her way around the room, looking at each of Egon's contraptions and devises, not even sure what anything was.  
She noticed that there weren't any toys at all, which made her feel a little sad for Egon.  
She wondered how strict his parents must have been with him, how alienated he must have felt amongst his other young peers, how these earlier experiences effected his personality as an adult and if they were why he shied away from public affection with her.

She lay down on the bed next to him and looked up at his ceiling.  
They lay in silence both staring upwards, the constellations blurring into one.  
A ray of late afternoon sunlight beamed through a gap in the faded curtains.  
Dust particles from years of neglected cleaning danced and twirled almost magically in the stream of sunlight.  
"You know, I'm leaving soon," said Audrey quietly, breaking the silence.  
"Don't remind me" replied Egon, looking over at her.  
She rolled onto her side to face him.  
"So, what are we going to do?" she asked him, unsure at how he'd answer.  
She'd played the scenario over in her mind a million times, weighing up every option.  
Their best shot, she figured, was to continue seeing each other long distance until she could organise another teaching contract - _if_ she could organise another contract. The alternative was to break up, go their separate ways, never to see each other again.  
That was the option that pained Audrey's heart whenever she thought about it.  
Egon gently ran his hand through her hair.  
"I'll find a solution" he replied, before drawing her close to him.


	22. The Car Ride Confession

**Just a little note to let you know I won't be uploading any new chapters until approximately the 27th April. I'll be back, don't worry! Thanks again for reading!**

* * *

The remaining weeks had gone by all too soon.  
It was early May.  
Audrey was now only a couple of weeks from finishing her contract and moving back to Australia.

Egon rode in the passenger seat of the ECTO-1 as Ray drove back to the firehouse after an easy bust in New Jersey.  
Egon was fiddling with the PKE meter, not noticing that Ray was looking at him.  
"So, Audrey leaves soon, huh?" asked Ray as he lit a cigarette.  
"Yeah" replied Egon, without looking up.  
"So, what's going to happen with the two of you?"  
"I have a plan," replied Egon, finally looking up at Ray.  
"Oh yeah?" asked Ray, blowing smoke out of his mouth.  
"Yeah"  
"Well, what is it?"  
Egon lay the PKE meter in his lap.  
"I'm going to ask Audrey to marry me," replied Egon, matter-of-factly.  
"Oh what?! Oh that's great! I wondered if that was coming! Congratulations! I can't believe one of us is going to get married.  
I would have put money on Peter being the first, you know, with Dana and all, but this is just great" said Ray, smiling and shaking his head in disbelief as he drove on.  
"When did you realise she was going to be the one that, you know, you ask?"  
Egon paused, thinking for a moment.

"I'd estimate the precise moment was when I watched her slip handwritten reviews into a stack of library books as she was about to return them" he replied.  
"Huh, really?" asked Ray.  
"Yes" Egon replied simply.  
"Is… is that it?" asked Ray, confused.  
"Well, no, of course not" replied Egon.  
He paused again to think of the right words before continuing.  
"She's… _different_. She's filled with an energy I've never felt from another living person before. I can't stand the thought of losing her," said Egon, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his outpour of emotion.  
"Uh huh," replied Ray with a nod of his head. "Well, I've never seen you look, so _alive,_ with anyone before. She brings out the best in you. Congratulations, man. I'm really happy for you."  
"Thank you" replied Egon with a smile before clearing his throat and continuing to fiddle with the PKE meter.  
_Now,_ he thought, _I just have to find the right way to ask her._


End file.
